Junior doctors fear for their future, says survey

The NHS will not be recognisable in ten years' time and the private sector is largely to blame, junior doctors believe.

A survey of 1,000 young doctors reveals that 61 per cent said they were "very concerned" about growing private sector involvement in the NHS.

The research, which was carried out by the British Medical Association (BMA), also reveals that that around half of junior doctors believe job insecurity will force them out of the health service.

Dr Jo Hilborne, chairman of the BMA junior doctors committee, said: "Despite the fact that the UK remains short of fully trained medical staff, the future for many young doctors is looking pretty grim.

"The Government's handling of training reforms and workforce planning generally has been shockingly bad."

She said that ministers need to explain what is going to happen to the "thousands of competent, dedicated, junior doctors" who risk being "consigned to scrap heap".

According to a recent survey by Hospital Doctor magazine, 54 per cent of doctors say their morale is either "poor" or "terrible", a result that was disputed by the Government.

Source material: Adfero news article.

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